News beats big papers to award

CABOOLTURE News editorial team has taken out the Best Print Story in this year's Archbishop Bathersby Common Good Media Awards.

The awards, which cover south-east Queensland, had entries from most major newspapers in the region, including the Courier-Mail. Catholic Community office manager Adrian Taylor, who presented the award, said the newspaper had won for its series of articles on the Binary Chemical fire at Narangba Industrial Estate. The stories outlined the fight by firefighters and residents to be given compensation by the state government. The stories were written by the Caboolture News team led by editor Cath Fouracre and championed by reporter Naomi Hockins. Mr Taylor said Caboolture News, one of the Sunshine Coast Newspapers stable, had pipped metropolitan and regional newspapers for the award.

In a letter to the newspaper, Archbishop John Bathersby said he recognised that the role of Caboolture News and media in general was not an easy one and that was why the archdiocese had established the awards in 2005.

"... Your publication holds fast to the ideals of truth and working for the common good of the community," he said.